Wish Upon The Northern Star
by Jace the DarkSlayer
Summary: Jace had always been anti-social. But he found peace with Pokémon. They brought him joy. When he moved to Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region he decided to change by researching Pokémon with his neighbor, May Birch. They travel through the regions together meeting others along the way. Please review, if you don't mind. I would like all the help I can get on my first fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

**It's Just the Beginning**

The lush green of the grass, the cool breeze that wanders through the trees, birds singing their song of peace. The year is 2022 and this is Littleroot Town, where I, Jace Nahatuka, live. I am 14 years old and I have always been filled with the urge to explore the Hoenn region, and the other regions for that matter. Fascinated by Pokémon, I sit next to the somewhat bushy, tall grass every day. Knowing the dangers of going in without a Pokémon of my own, I can only observe these powerful, joy-filled Pokémon rustle in the tall grass. Lately, I've been taking interest in my neighbors. Mainly because of the girl that lives there. She is a Pokémon trainer named May. Every day she gathers information about the Pokémon in the Hoenn region: the place where we live. My mom always worries for me but is excited when I go outside, especially if it is to meet someone new. The war that recently ended, which was called the Federation War, made my mom worry way more than normal about me. I heard that they fought the war with Pokémon along with guns. For some reason I hope to meet a veteran of that war. Well other than that, I hope that I will have an interesting life while I am alive.

… … … … …

"Ugh," I groan, just waking up. "Oh yeah, it's the weekend. Time to go meet May, I guess." Slowly, I get up to a sitting position, groaning most of the time. Rubbing my eyes, I stood up. I grabbed my black shirt and jeans so I could get dressed. "Good morning," my mom said when I started down the stairs. "Good morning," I replied. "Do you think I could meet the neighbors today? I want to get out of my shell a little today." With a surprised look on her face she slowly replied, "Yes! This is great!" I thanked her, got my shoes on, and started walking towards the door to go meet my neighbors. Right when I open the door I see one of my neighbors, May.

"Whoa!" I say, surprised to see May at my door. "What are you doing here?" May, slightly shifting her position, whispers, "I-I wanted to see if you'd come with me today t-to look at Pokémon. So, w-would you want to c-come with me?" Slowly I respond, "Sure. I was just about to go to talk to you anyways." Smiling, May grabbed my arm and pulled me away from my house, barely giving me time to close the door. As we approached the tall grass, I started panicking. "Hey, May?"

"Yeah, Jace?"

"How am I going to get a Pokémon for myself?" Now smiling, May says, "My father is a professor that studies Pokémon. He has two Pokémon in Poké Balls just lying around the house. I could ask if you could have one. I already have a Treeko."

"Okay! Thank you! I've always wanted to travel through the Hoenn region!" Both of us smiling, we ran back to May's house.

It wasn't that far of a run. Maybe 20 meters? I might have to measure that in my free time. Anyways, when we got to May's front door, May practically kicked down her front door. "I didn't know you were that strong, May!" I said, astonished at her recent feat.

"Hmmm… Where could those Poké Balls be?" May asked herself, ignoring the fact that she just opened the door with a swift kick without breaking anything.

"Umm, May? I think I found them," I said, holding up two red, black, and white Poké Balls. "Yes! Those are the ones!"

"May? What are you and this boy doing with my Poké Balls?" Professor Birch, May's father questioned.

"Oh! Dad! I didn't know you were home! This is Jace, our neighbor. I wanted to have him come with me to find new Pokémon today. But he doesn't have a Pokémon for himself. So we were going to borrow one of these."

"Well next time ask first, okay? And if you're going to have a Pokémon, Jace, you'll need one of these" Professor Birch sad, handing me a red object. "It's a Pokédex!" May supplied. "Do you have one May?" I asked, looking towards the Pokédex in Professor Birch's hands. "Yes! I do have one!" May brought a pink Pokédex into view.

"May? Just remember, keep getting information on the Pokémon in this region. That is the goal I gave you."

"Okay! I will! And thank you!" Turning towards Jace, "You can have your own Pokémon!" Naturally, because I was a right-handed person, I reached towards the Poké Ball on the right side. "Go ahead, let it out! I wanna see what it is!" May said with excitement in her voice. A wide smile was coming into view on her face. Pressing the button in the center of the front of the Poké Ball, I watched a stream of red light come out and hit the ground. When it disappeared, a blue and orange Pokémon sat before me, its head tilted. Pulling out her Pokédex, May scanned my new Pokémon. "Mudkip is its name." May said. Hoping for the best to come out of this I went down to pet Mudkip. Slowly but surely my hand made its way down to Mudkip's head. Patting Mudkip, I found out from May that my Mudkip was a male Pokémon, and had a special ability only found in Mudkip out of the two Pokémon that were available. It increases the damage for moves that are water type. 'So I guess I am going to have a couple water type moves for you, Mudkip' I thought to myself.

… … … … …

"C'mon Jace! I have something to show you!" May shouted at me as we were running through the forest. "Where are we going? I can barely remember the path home!"

"You'll see! Just keep running! We're almost there!" May said with a large amount of excitement. A few more minutes of running and May suddenly stopped in front of a clearing in the dense forest. "We're here!" May gladly said as she turned around to see me finally catch up. "Well I am guessing this place makes you very happy considering how big your smile is right now" I said, chuckling. Shifting her posture, May said, "Well, yeah, I guess it does make me happy. This has been the place for me to escape to and visit Pokémon when I had free time."

"Well I am glad you have a place like this. I still haven't had the time to explore to find one of these kinds of places for myself…"

"Well if you want," May said enthusiastically, "You could come with me to this place when I go!" Surprised by the hospitality, I slowly responded, obviously showing my surprise. "Ummm, are you sure? I mean, this is the place for you to have your time alone. I don't want to ruin that for you."

"Nah, it's fine. You're a pretty fun person so I might as well have you come with me."

"Okay!" I say enthusiastically, reaching for my Poké Ball. "Do you want to have a little battle to see how strong you are as a beginner? I definitely want to see your skill so we can train together!" May said. "Why not? It seems like a great idea! Come on out Mudkip!" I say, pressing the white button on the Pokéball. I was stunned to see the flashing red stream of light emit from the opened Pokéball. Once that light subsided, my Mudkip, looking innocent but strong, stood there.

"Have you even put Mudkip into your Pokédex? That's the first thing that I did when I got Treeko and the Pokédex!" May said.

"Now thinking about it, I haven't put him into my Pokédex!" I said, almost panicking. I pulled out my red Pokédex and flipped it open, aiming it at Mudkip. "The fin on Mudkip's head acts as a highly sensitive radar. Using this fin to sense movements of water and air, this Pokémon can determine what is taking place around it without using its eyes." The Pokédex supplied, surprising me. "Wow! Mudkip's fin can be very useful during battles. You should check what attacks he has!" May said excitedly, staring at me with a smile. Smiling back, I looked at the entry for Mudkip in my Pokédex. "He can tackle Treeko and growl at him." I said slightly laughing, "What about your Treeko? I still have yet to see it. Plus, I want to put it into my Pokédex!"

"That's right! Come on out Treeko!" May said, pressing the button on the Pokéball to release Treecko from the spherical home. Pulling out my Pokédex, I scanned Treeko. "Treecko has small hooks on the bottom of its feet that enable it to scale vertical walls. This Pokémon attacks by slamming foes with its thick tail."

"That's pretty interesting! Let's see what attacks it can use!" I said, looking back at my Pokédex. "Pound and leer, huh. Fair enough."

"Well, shouldn't we begin our battle now? I am getting really anxious!" May said, almost yelling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

**The Rookie's First Battle**

"Let's set some basic rules shall we? Okay! So, if you're Pokémon is unable to battle you lose the battle. Seems simple enough, right? Oh! Also, neither of us can use any type of potion to aid our Pokémon in the battle." May said, obviously familiar with the basic rules while making the battle a little more on the fair side. "So, since this is your first battle, you can go first!" May said joyfully, with a hint of awkwardness. "Okay! Mudkip! Use tackle!" Mudkip charged forward with a speed that not many early Pokémon could match. He bashed into Treeko with force enough for Treeko to lay sprawled on his back, obviously damaged. "Treeko! Get up! Use pound!" Treeko immediately righted himself and smacked the confident Mudkip with its tail. "Mudkip!" I yelled, with panic in my eyes. "Get up Mudkip! Tackle Treeko once more!" Slowly getting up, Mudkip used tackle with all the strength he could muster. Treeko got knocked further back than the first time. "Treeko!" May shouted, running towards her defeated Pokémon. "You fought well Treeko" May said softly while putting Treeko back in his Poké Ball.

"I got to say, you are a natural Pokémon trainer. You fought very well. Your Mudkip did too. I think you two will work very well together. But now, should we get back home? It's getting kind of late." May stated, looking at the sky. "Sure, I am pretty hungry from that battle."

"You weren't even the Pokémon!"

"So? I am still a boy."

Both May and I laughed at that.

… … … … …

"There you two are!" Professor Birch said when we arrived through the door to May's house. "Are you two okay? I was getting worried for a little while there."

"Yeah, we're fine. We had a battle today. It was pretty fun."

"Who won?"

"I did! I won my first battle!" I said excitedly. "Jace beat you? I wouldn't have expected that. He must be a natural Pokémon trainer!"

"Yeah, he is. He battle furiously and took my Treeko down in just two attacks! Can you believe it?"

"Not really but if you're saying it then I find it a very impressive feat. Great job Jace!"

"Thank you! And thank you May. For letting me battle you! But I should probably be getting back home now. Thank you again, May." I start walking towards the door until I hear May shout at me. "Wait! Do you want to come with me tomorrow to research Pokémon?"

"Sure! I'm looking forward to it!" I wave at her goodbye and leave for my house.

… … … … …

"Jace!" My mom yelled at me once I opened the door. "Hey! I got my very own Pokémon today!" I yelled back with a smile on my face. "Its name is Mudkip and it's a boy! I beat May's Treeko today in my very first Pokémon battle!"

"That's great! Was it fun?"

"Yes, it was! Professor Birch is her dad. He is a very generous person." I said, running off to my room.

… … … … …

Jace's moms P.O.V.

Thinking to myself, I found that Jace has the same blood as his father, born into the life of a trainer almost. I've decided to help him with his dream of traveling the regions. I hope I can provide enough money for him to go his way.

… … … … …

Jace's P.O.V.

"Jace? Are you awake? Your mom said I could come in to wake you up."

"Who is it?" I said, rubbing my eyes and slowly sitting up. "May!" I yelled suddenly, falling off my bed with my blanket in the process.

"Are you okay?!" May asked with worry in her voice. "Yeah I'm fine… Just a little stunned to see you in my bedroom when I wake up. How long have you been here?" I asked a little shakily.

"I just got her a few minutes ago. I was talking to your mom for a little bit. She's a nice person. But I have been in here for about two minutes now. I was tempted to go on your PC but I decided against it. Well you should probably get dressed. Breakfast is almost finished downstairs. Your mom took over for me while I went up here to wake you up."

"Okay. I'll be right down. And thanks for making me breakfast, or at least part of it." Once May left the room I let out a huge sigh.

I started thinking to myself as I got dressed. _I wonder how early she even wakes up… If she even gets up at all._

I grabbed my clean black, red, and silver shirt and blue jeans and got dressed. I checked my PC to see if May did mess with it. It turns out she was telling the truth.

"Good morning" I said as I walked down the stairs with my slightly hunched back. "Good morning. I see you're still a bit tired. This breakfast will wake you up for sure! I made pancakes!" May said.

"I can't wait." I responded adding a yawn at the end. I took a couple steps towards the table to pull my chair out so I could sit down. Once I sat down my mom immediately asked me what I was going to do today with May. "Well I guess we were going to do some research out in the forest. I might get a better feel for my surroundings that way."

"It's going to be fun!" May said with energy showing in her voice.

"How are you so energetic this early in the morning? I usually wake up around 10:00 A.M." I said.

"I always get up and out of bed very early in the morning. I usually wake up around 5:00 A.M. It's a nice habit for me. It gives me lots of energy to do research throughout the day. If you want I could wake you up at that time so we can go do research earlier so we have more free time later in the day." May suggested.

My eyes were wide by now. _So that's how early! But should I take her up on this offer so that I could get to know the Pokémon around this area better if I take this offer. _I thought to myself.

"Sure. I'll have to get used to it but I think it'd be fun." I said after finishing my pancakes.

"Yay!" May said, taking her last bite of her food. "Just go to sleep earlier if you can. Oh! Do you want to get going now or wait a little bit longer?"

"I think we can go now. Bye mom!"

We headed out the door. Once the door was shut we immediately ran to the spot we were at yesterday.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

**Research and More**

"The spot is just ahead! Let's run as fast as we can to it! I'll race you there!" May said to me. "Deal!" I said, starting my full on sprint. "Hey! You started before me!" May yelled after me. When she started running adrenaline came into my body, making me run faster with a smile on my face. In a few seconds I was at the spot, leaving May in the dust. Laughing, I wait for May to catch up.

"How did you run that fast?!" May questioned. "I used to be the fastest person in town. I guess you are now!"

"I guess so! I only get those random bursts of energy sometimes. They don't come out very often." I said. "Well anyways, what do you want to do? We have a bunch of free time."

May thought for a while before she said something. "We could do some research!" May said. "I have the perfect spot for it too! Come with me!" Right after she said that she started running again. "Oh, no! We have to run again? Eh, fine. I'll run again." I said.

As we both ran towards a nearby spot inside the spot that she directed me to the first time, I noticed that wild Pokémon were everywhere! "So I see that you know exactly where the Pokémon go… Do you stalk them by chance?" I said with a serious look on my face. "No I don't stalk Pokémon. I just know where they go during this time of year." May replied showing her slight annoyance. "Well shouldn't we get studying? After all, that's what I brought you to this second spot for, right?"

… … … … …

"Well, we're almost at Littleroot. Would you want to have dinner at my house? I mean, we need to show my dad our research as well so we could knock out two birds with one stone." May suggested. Thinking about it for a second I decided that I would go. "Have you ever wanted to fly?" May asked randomly. "Not that I can remember. Why do you ask?"

"I guess it's just because I've always wanted to fly. You could be so free."

_ Wow. May seems like more of a dreamer than I do._

"Yeah, I guess it would be like that if you were able to fly." I said. "You must be thinking quite hard about this." May said. I mean, if you are talking like you're in a trance then you must be thinking hard." I laughed a little after that. "Yeah, I guess I am thinking a bit hard. Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all," May said, laughing. As we walked along the path towards Littleroot from Oldale, we kept talking and laughing. Once we were in Littleroot we immediately starting running towards May's house. "I will beat you this time!" May shouted back at me. "Never!" I shouted back at her, picking up my pace, feeling adrenaline pump throughout me. "Ah! There's the famous adrenaline rush! Let's see if it makes you as fast as it did last time!" May said to me as I ran beside her.

I ran faster than I have ever run before. I guess I have never realized my true speed. I sprinted past her, nearly running into other people as I ran. I almost slammed into her house's front door when I got there. Somehow I managed to stop myself.

"So I see you finally got here. Took you long enough." I said to May after taking another big breath. "Yeah. I guess you did outdo yourself. You ran faster than I thought you were capable of. Nice job!" May said back. "So, shall we go eat? I mean, that's what we came here for."

"Yeah, but I should probably tell my mom first. I'll come back once I tell my mom." I said. "Okay, I will see you in a few minutes then. Be ready to eat lots of good food!" May yelled to me since I had already started walking.

… … … … …

"Hey, mom!" I said after closing the door to the house behind me. "Hey, Jace! How are you?"

"I'm doing pretty good. I was just coming over to tell you that I am going to May's house to eat dinner today. Are you okay with that? I mean, I haven't bee-"

"No, it's okay! Just promise me that you'll let me cook for you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure! I promise you that!" I said, leaving.

… … … … …

"So is it good, Jace?" Professor Birch asked me. "Yes, it is very good. Thanks for the food." I replied. "You're welcome to eat here whenever you want, Jace. So don't be afraid to ask, okay?"

"Okay, thank you again Professor." I said to Professor Birch.

"So how has your research with Jace been going, May?" Professor Birch asked May. "Well, we have almost obtained all the information we can in this area of the Hoenn region. And by this area, I mean from here to the patches behind Oldale. We just need a couple more Pokémon to gather information on." May replied.

"Well that's great! Isn't it, Jace?" Professor Birch said.

"Yeah, it is. I can't wait to go into new parts of the Hoenn region to do research. It has always been my dream to explore the Hoenn region." I told him. "And now, thanks to you, I can do what I have been dreaming about."

"I hope you do more than just research though. But don't give up on research for something else, because I gave you that Pokédex for a reason. Don't forget that."

"I won't forget that. Don't worry. I will keep researching Pokémon and helping people further understand Pokémon."

"I'm glad you said that, Jace." Professor Birch said. "Well, I should get to cleaning up from dinner. You should probably get home now, Jace."

"Oh, okay. Do you think we could finish up our research tomorrow, May?" I ask.

"Uhh, sure. Why not?" May replied.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. Goodbye Professor! Goodnight May." I say to the two.

"Goodnight, Jace." May said.

… … … … …

"I guess I should get up now, shouldn't I?" I say to myself, rubbing my eyes. After putting on my white long sleeve t-shirt and my jeans and other clothes, I headed downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

**The Days Ahead**

"Mornin'! I already made some fresh pancakes!" May said as I walked down the stairs, "Would you like some?"

"Sure. Hey, are you going to be coming over here to make breakfast every day now?" I questioned.

_I could get used to this. I mean, she does make some pretty good breakfast dishes._

"I just might. If you want me to, that is. Oh! My dad wanted to see us for something. So let's head over there as soon as we finish breakfast, okay?" May said.

"Okay! I wonder what it's about. I hope it is something adventurous." I said, a slightly mischievous smile appearing on my face.

"Hey, what's up with that smile? It looks like you're planning to prank someone you are angry with" May stated, laughing at the end. Snapping out of the trance I put myself under, I said, "Oh, sorry about that. I get that smile and sort of… Well how do you put it? I guess I would say 'blank out' when I think of doing adventurous things. It's kind of weird." I said to May.

… … … … …

After finishing up breakfast we started walking down to May's house. Talking along the way, I found out that her dad seemed pretty excited to tell us about something today. "So what do you think your dad wants to tell us?" I asked May.

"I'm not sure. He's pretty unpredictable. I mean, before he started studying Pokémon he was thinking about a ton of jobs and he was trying to take on every kind of college classes available. I hope it's something good, though."

"Yeah, so do I. But now I am really curious about what he is going to tell us. The anticipation is killing me!" I said.

… … … … …

"You're back!" Professor Birch said as we entered his lab. "I have something very important to tell you two."

"What is it? We've been wondering all morning!" May said.

"I've decided that you two are knowledgeable enough to go out on your own and explore the rest of the region. After you two do that we will decide what to do next. But! I have one condition that you two must meet! You two must collect data on all the Pokémon of this region! Seems reasonable, right?" Professor Birch said.

"Yes!" I shouted. "That seems like an amazing deal! What do you think about it, May?"

"This is an amazing opportunity! I can't skip out on this!"

"Then it's been decided, you two will be heading out tomorrow morning!"

… … … … …

_I wonder when May will get here… I am really looking forward to-_

"That must be May! See you, mom! I'll come back to visit as soon as I can!" I said to my mom as I jogged towards the door, backpack on. I had all the proper supplies for surviving for the time being. I have a bit of money that I had been saving up for months, some food for the road until we get to Petalburg, my Poké Ball with Mudkip was attached to my backpack strap, clean clothes, and other necessary items. "Hey, May!" I said as I opened the door and walked out. "Shall we get going? I am really excited for this!"

"I can see that by the fact that you're energetic at seven in the morning. This is very surprising." May replied. "Do you have everything packed? Because I'm ready to head out if you are."

"I have everything in and on this backpack. So let's go, shall we?"

… … … … …

"We're finally in Petalburg! If I'm correct, the gym leader here is my house's old resident's father. What was his name again?" I said to May.

"I believe it was Norman. I haven't seen him in a while. Want to go talk to him for a bit? He might be in the gym."

"No, I'm fine. I've decided that I am going to fight all the gym leaders and hopefully get to the Pokémon League. That way, we can knock out two birds with one stone. I mean, we'll have to go through Victory Road, which means we'll see new Pokémon! So that means I need to start with Roxanne in Rustboro, right?"

"Yep! I hope you can beat her! She might be the lowest gym leader, but she can still put up a fight." May said.

"Well then, let's go there now!" I said enthusiastically.

… … … … …

May's POV

We walked along the path towards Petalburg Woods, which scares me a little bit.

_I wonder if I'll be alright._

"Hey, May? Are you alright? You look pretty scared." Jace said.

"O-oh! Yes, I'm just fine! Don't worry about it." I replied.

_I really hope I'll be all right._

When we turned the corner we saw tall pine trees covering a lot of area. Luckily, there was a clear path through it. Just some tall grass here and there. There were a lot of people with magnifying glasses and bug catching nets roaming around in the tall grass, looking at the different kinds of Pokémon lurking in their midst. Occasionally a Slakoth appeared lazing around in the trees. "Well then! Let's get going!" Jace said, running ahead.

"W-wait for me, Jace!" I said, running after him.

"We need to collect data on different Pokémon, right? Well let's get some done right here!" Jace said to me.

"That's right! Let's do this!" I said.

… … … … …

Jace's POV

After collecting data on every Pokémon in the forest and training a bit, which took a few hours, we headed towards Rustboro again, for the battle between me and the gym leader, Roxanne. "Finally! We're heading out of this forest!" May said, sounding very relieved.

"Yep! It's time for my battle! Good thing I trained, right? I mean, now Mudkip knows a new attack! And since it's water, I have the upper hand in the gym battle." I said.

"Well let's get to the Pokémon Center to rest our Pokémon before you go into battle."

"Sounds like a plan!" I said. A few minutes later and we were in Rustboro at the Pokémon Center waiting with our Pokémon who seemed very tired. "Your Pokémon will be all better in an a few minutes." Nurse Joy said to us.

"Thanks!" May and I said simultaneously.

"Well once we're out of here it's off to the gym!" I said once Nurse Joy left the room.

"Yeah, this will be a good battle. I'll be rooting for you!" May said.

"I can't wait!" I said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

**Roxanne**

"So this is the Rustboro Rock type gym! I'm definitely going to win this! Hopefully I'll be able to on my first try!" I said while standing in front of the gym in Rustboro. "Well, let's go in!" I opened the door and what was in front of me surprised me a bit. I thought that the gym would look a bit cleaner. Instead of a clean, wooden floor I saw a rugged, rocky terrain with some stalactites and stalagmites lying around and occasionally there was a boulder in the area.

"Hello!" said a voice from on top of a rock. "I'm Roxanne! I'm the Rock type gym leader of Rustboro!" I saw a silhouette jump down from a rock no more than 20 feet in front of me. Coming out of the shadows was a girl that seemed young for a gym leader. She didn't seem like much of a threat to me, but then again, you can never tell until you're in a battle with them. "It's time for me to get my first gym badge! I, Jace Nahatuka, challenge you to a battle!" I said with confidence.

"You sound very sure of yourself! Let's put that to the test!" Roxanne said. Roxanne made a motion with her hand and a battle referee stepped out.

"This battle will be all out. Whatever Pokémon you have with you at this time will be used in battle. The gym battle between the Rock type gym leader of Rustboro, Roxanne, and Jace Nahatuka will begin… Now!" The referee stated.

With that I sent out my Mudkip which seemed very excited to be in another battle. On the other side of the room Roxanne released her Geodude which surprisingly floated above the ground, despite the fact that it was made out of rocks. "Mudkip! Use Water Gun!" I commanded. The blast of water hit Geodude and did serious damage. "Go forward and use water gun once more, Mudkip!" I said. Mudkip ran at Geodude and sent out a powerful stream of water at the Geodude, making the Geodude pass out. "Great job, Mudkip!" I said. "Let's win this!"

"You did good, Geodude. Rest up." Roxanne said to her unconscious Pokémon. "Go, Nosepass!" A Nosepass escaped the Poké Ball and immediately took a defensive stance. "Quick, Nosepass! Use Harden and Tackle!" Nosepass started running at Mudkip while filling in cracks with rocks, making itself harder. "Dodge it and use Water Gun!" I said. Now my adrenaline was pumping. Mudkip jumped to the side and shot water at the Nosepass. Hitting Nosepass in the side, Nosepass fell on its side, sliding a little bit, making the rocks fall out of the cracks. "Get up and use Tackle, Nosepass!" Roxanne said a bit more sternly.

"When Nosepass is almost to you use Water Gun!" I say, thinking about how Nosepass will have gained enough speed by that time that it will almost be like a boulder going down a hill at high speeds. Nosepass was about 10 feet from Mudkip when a powerful blast of water came out of Mudkip's mouth, hitting Nosepass. Nosepass fell backward, slid a little bit, and came to a halt in front of Mudkip, obviously, unconscious from Mudkip's last attack.

"Great job, Mudkip! Let's keep going so we can progress even further!"

"I'm not finished yet!" Roxanne shouted from across the room. "Let's destroy their winning streak right here! Go, Geodude!" Roxanne pressed the button on her last Poké Ball, releasing her second Geodude. Again, a floating ball of rock with rock arms appeared in front of me. "Mudkip! Run at Geodude and use Water Gun!" I said to Mudkip. With that command, Mudkip ran at the Roxanne's last Pokémon. Opening his mouth, Mudkip sent out one last beam of water at the floating being of rock. It made contact with Geodude, sending it flying back towards Roxanne. Geodude landed in front of Roxanne. It was unconscious!

"The gym leader, Roxanne, is out of useable Pokémon. That means… Jace Nahatuka wins the gym battle!" the Referee said.

"Yeah! You did great, Jace!" I heard May shout from the stands.

"You did great, Jace." Roxanne said happily.

_ I really did it. I beat Roxanne!_

"Thanks! This wasn't my first battle, but it was my first gym battle! It was fun! Thanks for the opportunity!" I said to Roxanne.

"You have earned this official Pokémon League badge, the Stone Badge!" Roxanne said while handing over a badge. "Do you have a badge case?"

"No, I don't." I said.

"I see. Well I always have a spare. Would you like it? It's very handy."

"That's very generous, thank you." I said. Roxanne got her bag and pulled out a black metal box with light wood outlining.

"Here you go! It has room for all eight badges of this region and it also has a place money and other small things you might earn throughout your life as a Pokémon Trainer. Oh! I almost forgot! I always try to teach a move to everyone who beats me! And I think I know just the move to teach your Mudkip here!"

… … … … …

"Well I'm finished! Your Mudkip now knows the move Rock Tomb! And I also have one thing for you two. I saw you both had Pokédex's and I assumed you might want to get the data for my Pokémon on there, right? Well, if you want, you two can get that information." Roxanne said, letting out one of her Geodude's and her Nosepass.

"Thank you! We really needed this!" I said as May and I took out our Pokédex's to gather more information. After scanning them we said our goodbyes and left the gym.

_I can't wait until I get to the next gym! I hope I have a bigger challenge there than I had here!_

I healed my Mudkip at the local Pokémon Center and left to continue the quest to explore all of Hoenn and all other regions. I also had a new quest alongside that one. To beat all the gyms and Pokémon League in every region.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

**The Trip to Dewford**

"Back through Petalburg Woods once more…" May said, sounding a little bit more confident.

"Yeah. It was nice being in Rustboro. But, as always, we have to move as fast as we can so we can explore everything! And I just thought of something, for Pokédex data, can't we look in books for the Pokémon that are extra rare? What are they called again… Legendaries? I think that's what they're called. But I hear that people have already gathered lots of data on them and have put that information in books." I said. "But anyways, we need to focus on going to Dewford first. You said you know a guy who will take us? Who is he?"

"His name is Alfred Briney. He likes being called Alf, though. He visited Littleroot once to say farewell to the person who used to live in your house. Apparently his father, Mr. Briney, was a reliable source of travel for him until he obtained fly. He wanted to thank him for allowing his father to help him travel. I was just a kid at the time. I hope he remembers me so that we can travel to Dewford on his boat." May informed.

"Okay, then off we go to Alf's house!" I said. After traveling for a little bit and training in Petalburg Woods for a little bit, we continued towards Alf's house. As we exited the woods, May told me to look right. As I started to turn I saw a house. In the window I could see a brown haired teenager running after a Pelipper around a table.

_Strange… Could that be Alf?_

"If you're wondering, that strange boy chasing after the Pelipper is Alf." May said.

_Did she just read my mind?!_

"No, I didn't read your mind." She said without me saying anything.

"You just did it again!" I said, surprised. All May did was laugh at me while I stared in awe. We ended up running to Alf's house. When I went to knock on the door I saw a fairly nice boat tied to the dock. "That's a pretty nice boat for a teenager." I said.

"Yeah, it is. He inherited it from his dad. But he also inherited a strange trait from his father. He will chase his Pelipper around the table and won't listen to you until you stop him yourself. His dad did the same with his Wingull. They also decided that all the Wingulls and Pelippers they had would be named Peeko." May said. "Oh, and we can just go in since he doesn't pay attention to anything."

"Oh. Okay." I said, opening the door. Sure enough, when I called his name he didn't even turn towards me or stop, he just kept running at a creepily steady pace after Peeko. I decided to step in front of him which got him to stop running.

"Hello! I'm Alf! What's your name?" Alf said.

"I'm Jace Nahatuka. Nice to mee-" Alf cut me off. "So do you want me to take you to Dewford? That's what most people ask me to do. Or they take me to see the abandoned ship in the middle of the ocean."

"Yeah, thanks." I said.

"No problem!" Alf said. "Wait a second… Aren't you May Birch? I met you when you were really young!"

"You remember me? I'm surprised!"

"How could I not remember you? You were always full of energy! It was exciting!" Alf said. "Well, we should probably get going to Dewford, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, we should." I said. We left Alf's house and Alf prepared the boat. He called us about ten minutes after he started to prepare the boat. "We leave for Dewford… Now!" Alf said. We were on the boat for about an hour before we made it to the island of Dewford. On the way to Dewford, Alf showed May and I around his boat. His boat is quite large. It has a small kitchen, a room that fits two computers that have quite a bit of games on them and run quite well. After I asked who was driving the boat and started panicking along with May, he told us that he had the option of setting up a course and using an auto-driver mode. His boat was quite the spectacle. It ran off solar energy, which was perfect for where his boat went because it is rarely cloudy in those locations. And in case of the clouds and rain being out, he has his boat fueled up for a different source of power. He also has a generator that holds electricity in case his fuel runs out. It is quite an amazing boat, I have to say. We had dinner on the boat right before we got to Dewford. When we arrived at Dewford, both May and I were amazed at how big the beach was. The entire beach fit the entire town of Dewford on it, including the gym.

"Well, first, let's get some training and research done in the cave over there. Plus, we can try and find some underwater Pokémon to look at." I said once May and I left the dock.

"Sounds like a plan!" May replied.

… … … … …

We spent a few hours finding underwater Pokémon, Pokémon in the cave, and training for the Dewford gym. I found out that the gym leader for Dewford's gym was Brawly, a fighting type gym leader.

_Fighting him is definitely going to be a pain…_

We visited the Pokémon Center once we were done training. As our Pokémon were being treated for their training, May and I decided to talk. "So, what do you think will happen in Brawly's gym? Personally, because you are using Mudkip, I think you will probably lose to him for a little bit. But then, after training vigorously, you will beat him. I'll be rooting for you, no matter what, okay?" May said.

"Okay! Thanks for the honesty. But that might have been a bit too honest in some areas…" I said.

"Sorry about that." May said.

"Hello! The Pokémon belonging to May and Jace have been fully healed! Come get them from the counter!" Nurse Joy said.

"Thanks a lot!" May said.

"Hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy said.

After leaving the Pokémon Center I asked May if she thought Nurse Joy was creepy.

"How could she be creepy?" May questioned.

"Well, she says she hopes to see us again, meaning that she wants our Pokémon to get hurt and, well… The Nurse Joy at every Pokémon Center we've visited has been exactly the same! How is that physically possible?" I ask.

"Now that I'm thinking about it… That is quite weird…" May said. "Well anyways, we don't have time to think about that! Let's get you to the Dewford Gym!"


End file.
